Cotton-picking machine



Mayv 12, 1925. 1,537,102

O. B. WNSTN COTTON PICKING MACHINE Filed Ju'e 22, 1921 2 Sheets-Shouf 2A* @j JWENTOR. v

J ATTORNEY.

Patented May 12, 1925.

oscAE B. WINsToN, or

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

COTTON-Prelims MACHINE.

Application filed .Tune 22,

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR B. TvViNs'roN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-PickingMachines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and usethe same.

My invention relates especially to a cotton picking machine which isadapted to be carried by the cotton pickeroroperatoig and has for itsobject to provide a device of this cl'iaracter which will quickly andefficiently transfer the cotton from the boll of the cotton plant to areceptacle provided for the purpose.

VWith this object'in view, my device comprises the new and novelfeatures hereinafter more fully set out inthe drawings, specificationsand claims.

In the drawings:

F igl is a front view 'of thedevice as it looks When being carried bytheoperator and shows the position of the hands when holding the bollagainst the -machine in order to allow the removal of the cotton.

Fig. 2 is a side View ofy the device showing the motor and fan in sideelevation and the picking device in section on the line II-II of Figure3. i

Fig. 3 isal front view ofthe picking head of the machine, with `the lefthalf in section taken on the line III--III of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings in whichv the parts are indicated by thesame i'nnneral v,in all. the views, `1` is a Vcasing covering anordinary electric motor l"l such as is used in a vacuum carpet sweeper,and 2 the casing inclosing a fan 2a sin'iilarly.use il-as no especialnovelty is claimed for either the fan or motor,y these are not shown infurther detail-fand hereinafter, the numerals 1 and 2 will be used asreferring to the motor and fan lrespectively ratherthan specifically tothe casings enclosing the same. Arvire 3 leads from the motor to asource `of current not shown-such source may be a storage batterycarried on lthe back of the operator or on' alight truck or may be froma stationary source not shown. 4 is the discharge outlet of the fanywhich leads through a short length of hose 5 to the 1cotton sack 6which may be of the ordinary type yadapted to be dragged on the groundbehind the operator.M

1921. Serial No. 479,541.

i. f n i i I lhis bag can drag from the connecting hose 5 but preferablyis independently fastened to the belt 7 in any suitable manner so thatno strain will come 'on the fan. The motor 1 and fan 2 are attached to aplate 8 adapted to rest against the stomach of they operator and to belirmly secured around his waist by thc belt 7, and are supported on theperson of the operator by the belt 7 and by `a supporting or carryingstrap 9 which attaches'to a projecting loop 10 on the fan 2 and isadapted to support the weight of the device from the shoulders of theoperator.`

.The picking head of the device comprises a housing` or casing 11 havinga contracted rear section 12 which preferably has a flange 13 fastenedby screws 14: to the housiiig of the :lan 2. i

The front of this housing 11 is guarded by a cover 15attached by a hinge16 to the said housing, and having a clamp or clamps 17 to hold it inlplace when closed. This cover is provided with two symmetricallylocated rectangular openings 18 each of which has a` plurality ofoppositely disposed and parallel lingers 19 extending from two oppositesides thereof. These lingers preferably have their free ends depressedbehind the plane of the cover 15 and these ends are preferably separatedby a space approxi-k mately equal to the spacing of the lingersthemselves.A 20, 20a and 21, 21a respectively are two pairs of brusheswhich are'mounted on .and rotated by shafts 22, 221.r These brushes havesets of bristles corresponding in .number with the openings between thelingers 19. The ln'istles may be true bristles or it found desirable beof wood or metal.

`They are preferably so set in relation to each other that the bristlesof onebrush fall opposite the space between bristles of the oppositebrush. The shafts 22, 22a, are driven by worin wheels 24, 2darespectively and these wheels in turn are driven by a central worm 25which is mounted on the shaft 26 which is an extension of the fan shaft. rlfhis central location of the worin causes the two brushes of apair (as 20, 20a) to rotate in opposite directions as is desired andsince the direction of rotation ofthe fan is fixed, and

in order that the brushes may rotat'eiuwzu'd or backward toward eachother.l the woi'iin'is so threaded that theworm wheels 24,211 arerotated in the direction of the arrows and the brushes 20, 20, 21, 21aare similarly rotated. The shafts 22` are preferably smiarc lll) orhexagonal andare either turned down or provided with bushings 32 to formjournals which rotate in the bearings 27. rllhese square shafts engagesquare sockets in the worm wheels 24, 24 which drive them.

In the rear of the brushes 2 20, 2l,':2l the inside of the housing l1has oppositely disposed flanges 2S, to which stripping combs 291 areattached by screws 30.

The action of the machine is as follows-- the carrying strap 9 isadjusted over the shoulders and around the neck, the plate S is adjustedand the strap A buckled to keep it securely in place. Then so fastenedit will be especially noted that the movement of the machine is entirelycontrolled by the movement of the bodyrof the operator and notcontrolled by his hands nor does it interfere with the free use of thehands. Having adjusted the machine on the `person the cotton sack Gattached and preferably hooked to the belt T, and the current wire l isconnected to the motor l.

'lhe operator being now ready for picking, approaches the cotton plantand grasping tl e bells with each hand brings them against the pickinghead, where the bristles on the brushes 20, 20, 2l, 2ln engage the liberof the cotton and forcibly remove it from the boll, carrying the cottonbackward through the picking head on the brush until it isstrippedtherefrom by the stripping combs 29. The vacuum current of thefau then sucks the cotton into the fan and throws it through thedischarge pipe 4f into the cotton sack 6.

lt will again be noted that the movement of the body brings the machineinto proximity to the cotton plant and possibly with a cotton boll, butthat ordinarily the actual contact of the cotton with the brushes isbrought about by bringing the open boll against the machine not themachine against the boll. Since both hands are free they can be busiedin bringing in the bolls either synchronously or alternately as the casemay be. As soon as the brush engagesthe cotton the hand is 'released tosecure additional bells for ih iicking. lt is not intended that the bollbe detached from the stalkbut should it be detached no harm is done. Thelingers 19 hold back the bells, stalks and leaves and let only thecotton through, but the grip of the brushes on the cotton hold the bolluntil all the cotton is removed therefrom.

Where bells are belowl the normal height of the machine on theoperator-s body, it is necessary to stoop over to bring the machine inteproximity to them. I also find that some of the lower bells on theplants are too low to be reached and these I detach and bring againstthe machine releasing them as soon as the lint is engaged by thebrushes, leaving the hands free to bring additional boils against thepicker head, while the lint is being removed from those so engaged.

It will be clearly seen that greater speed can certainly be obtainedwhere the boll is brought against the picker head than where the pickerhead is brought to the boll, especially since the boll can be releasedby the hand before the lint has entirely been removed and the hand bethen free to bring an additional boll or bolls against the picker head.It will also be readily seen that often two or even more bolls may bebrought against the picker head by a single movement of one hand.

It will be yreadily 'understood that minor details of the machine may beVariedwitliout departing from the spirit of my invention and that 1 donot wish to limit my-A self to the exact details here shown.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent in the United States is l. In a cotton pickingmachine, a recep- Yacle for the cotton, a housing; picking means, anexhaust fan for transferring the cotton from the picking means to thesaid receptacle, and a motor driving said picking means and fan, allwithin said housing; current wires leading to the said motor, and .meanslattaching said housing means rigidly to the body of the operatorwhereby the direction of the machine will be controlled solely by themovement of the operator and the hands of the operator be left free tobring the cotton boils into contact with the picking head.

2. A cotton picking machine, comprising a receptacle for the cotton, ahousing; picking means, means for transferring the cotton from thepicking means to the said receiitacle, and means for operating the saidpicking means and transferring means, all within said housing; and meansfor attaching the said housing rigidly to the body of the operator.

3. In a cotton picking machine, the combination with a receptacle forthe cotton, a housing; picking means within said housing', means fortransferring the cotton from the picking means to the said receptacleand means within said housing for operating the said picking andtransferring means, of a carrying strap, a plate rigidly attached to thesaid housing, a strap to fasten and to hold the said plate rigidlyyagainst the body of the operator Awhereby the direction of the saidpicker head will be controlled solely by the movement of the body of theoperator and his hands be leftfree to bring the cotton bells into`Contact with the said pick-ing means.

Il. A cotton picking machine having'a" receptacle for the cotton, ahousing; picking means, means for transferring -the Vcotton from thesaid picking means to the sais1 receptacle, and means for operating thesaid picking means and the said transferring means, all within saidhousing; `and means yfor attaching the said housing rigidly'to the bodyof anv operator whereby the direction of the picking means will becontrolled solely by the movements of the body of the operator and hishands be left free to bring the cotton bolls into contact with the saidpicking means.

5. A motton picking machine, comprising a receptacle, a motor, anexhaust fan driven by the said motor, a casing for said fan, and apicking head mounted on said fan casing, comprising a housing, two pairsof cooperating brushes, two shafts journalled in the said housing, eachcarrying and driving two of the said brushes, a worm wheel mounted oneach of the said shafts, a worin gear mounted on and operated by anextension of the fan shaft,"a cover for the said housing having openingstherethrough, over the said brushes, lingers partially closing the saidopenings, and a stripping comb for each of the said brushes.

G. A cotton picking machine, comprising a receptacle, a motor, anexhaust fandriven by the said motor, a casing for said fan,

and a picking head, mounted on the said a cover for the said housinghaving open ings therethrough, over the said brushes and having fingerspartially closing the said openings. f

7. A cotton picking machine, comprising a receptacle, a motor, anexhaust fan driven by the said motor, a casing for said fan, and apicking head, mounted on the said fan casing, comprising a housing, twopairs of cooperating brushes, two shafts journalled in the said housing,each ing and driving two of the said brushes, a worm wheel mounted oneach of the said shafts, a worm gear mounted on and operated by anextension of thefan shaft, and a stripping comb forV each of the saidbrushes. y

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name. i

:W'itnesses CHAs.- E. SPEER, ,v yH. S. HAWKINS.

oscary n. wiNsToN.

carry-

